Alberta Health Services has recorded a single case of drug resistant pandemic (H1N1) 2009 virus.
The patient was being treated for laboratory confirmed pandemic (H1N1) 2009 infection. The resistance was identified from an additional sample that was taken in mid-August while the patient was being monitored and treated for another condition. Further isolate testing at the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg confirmed this sample was oseltamivir-resistant. Oseltamivir is an antiviral medication mainly used to treat individuals infected with influenza.
"This is significant because oseltamivir or Tamiflu is the medication that is most commonly used to treat influenza around the world," says Dr. Gerry Predy, Senior Medical Officer of Health, Alberta Health Services. "Any resistance to medication is important because it could possibly lead to further cases of resistant disease and potentially impact how a disease spreads. However, this local discovery does not change our course of planning for pandemic (H1N1) 2009 or the treatment of patients with seasonal or pandemic influenza," adds Predy.
Read this news article on the Alberta Health Services website.